Shielded hoist controller



' Oct-13,1925- H. H. LOGAN SHIELDED HOIST CONTROLLER Filed May 16, 1924 a Sheets-sheaf 1 i A TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATEE'i HENRY HAVELOGK LOG-AN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHIELDED HOIST CONTROLLER.

Application filed May 16, 1924. Serial No. 713,888.

To all Mil/H97, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Havnnoou LOGAN, a citizen of Great Britain, who have declared my intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ohicago', county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shielded Hoist Controllers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in shielded hoist controllers, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein desc ibed and claimed.

.in object of my invention is to provide a hoist controller of the type described in which the switch, the governor, and the gears for actuating the governor are entirely encased so as to preclude the accumulation of dust, grease, and the like thereupon. It is intended that this controller shall be initially adjusted, and shall thereafter be left entirely alone, save for the slight adjustments made exteriorly of the casing. The provision of the casing practically renders the device fool-proof as to unnecessary adjustment and damage to the working elements, by contact with such objects as might well be expected to be found in places where the controllers are installed.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide a device of the type described in which particularly novel meam is provided for *ontrolling the action of the governor by varying the tension of the governor spring. This mechanism embodies also means for ac curately adjusting the tension of the spring relative to the spring actuating means.

A further object of my invention is to provide a hoist controller of a mine hoist in which driving engagement with the hoist drum of a mine hoist may be effected at either of two sides of the controller, thus obviating the necessity of changing or rerersing certain of the elements of the con troller. i

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which a single switch in a single electrical circuit is employed for controlling the hoisting machinery, and which switch is influenced by the governor and a cam mechanism, synchronized with the hoist drmn of the hoist. The switch itself I deem the particularly novel construction.

further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described which is extremely simple in construction as compared with the more complicated hoist coir trollers embodying mechanism for controlling and actuating brake engines in a man ner consistent with the position of the ship or cage in the mine shaft, and directly dependent upon the position of the cage in the shaft.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particuliin ly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated inthe a'ccom pan'ying drawings, forming part of this application, in which i Figure 1 is a front elevation of an embodiment of my invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 1, c

Figure 3 is an enlarged rear elevation of the mechanism illustrated in Figure i, with the rear cover plate removed,

Figure is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 4-4]: of F gure 2,

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 9-, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line a e of Figure 3.

In carrying out my invention 1 make use of a casing 1 having a dial 2 secured to the front wall thereof. The dial 2 is calibrated with the letters T and B, denoting top and bottom of the mine shaft, and numerals l, 2, and 3, denoting the various landings in the shaft.

A. shaft 3 is rotatably mounted in the easing 1, and projects thro-i 'h the front wall of the casing, and at a point at the center of the dial. 2, (see Figure 1). This shaft has a circular cam supporting disc f mounted concentric therewith, and arranged to lie in close proximity with the dial. A pointer 5 is adjustably secured to the shaft 3 by means of an adjusting bolt 6, and is bent inwardly at 7 so as to lie close to the dial 2. The pointer 5 is for the purpose of showing the position'of the ship or cage in the mine shaft.

Means for driving the shaft 3 so that its movement is synchronized with the movement of a ship or cage in the mine shaft is provided in a gear 8 carried by the shaft 3. The gear 8 is in mesh. with a gear 9, (See dotted lines Figure 2), which is carried upon a shaft 10, mounted within the casing 1 parallel with theshaft 3. The shaft 10 carries a worm wheel 11, which is in mesh with a worm 12, carried upon a shaft 13, mounted transversely with respect to the shafts 3 and 10, and having the outermost ends 14 there of projected exteriorlv of the casing 1. Either of the ends 14 of the shaft 13 may be connected with the hoist drum of the mine hoist by any positive driving mechanism, such as sprocket and chain, bevel gears, and the like.

A governor is carried upon a rotatably mounted vertical shaft 15 having a bevel pinion 16 at the lowermost end thereof in mesh with a bevel gear 17- car'ried by the shaft 13, thus effecting a positive driving engagement between the governor and the shaft 13.

The governor is of' apeculiar type, and unlike the ordinary type of governor, in that elevation of the fly balls 18 of the gov ernor by rotation thereof causes elevation of the cross head 19 of the governor upon the shaft 15.

Means for resisting the elevation of the cross head 19 is provided'in. a vertical mem ber-2O contacting the upper end of'the cross head 19. The stem 20 has a pair of collars 21 adjacent the lower end thereof and a compression spring 22 is mounted concentrio with the stem 20, one end of the spring being arranged to bear upon the uppermost of the collars 21. The opposite end of the spring 22 bears against the adjacent end of a tubular member 23 within which the stem 20 is partially projected.

This tubular member 23 is threaded as shown at 24 on the exterior wall thereof for the entire length of the member, and is received in an interiorly threaded sleeve 25. A lock nut 26 is disposed upon-the tubular member 23 at the upper end for the purpose of preventing movement of the member 23 relative to the sleeve when the nut is tighten-ed. The upper end of the tubular member 23 is slotted at'opposite'sides as shown at 27 so as to permit the engagement of a screw driver plate to the member, as in rotating the member for vertical adjustment relative to the sleeve 25.

The sleeve 25 has a radially extending.

arm 28. An opening is provided in the upper wall of the casing 1, through which the sleeve 25 is projected, that end bearing the arm 28 being disposed exteriorly of the casing. The opening 30 is. relatively long so as to hold the sleeve 25 in a vertical position.

Means foreffecting the upward and clownward movement of the sleeve 25 by rotation of the sleeve, as by movement of the arm 28 is provided in a pair of slots 31 extending through the sleeve at opposite sides thereof, and at an' angle'of substantially 45 from. the axis of the sleeve. Adjustable diametrically opposed stub shafts 32 are projected through the adjacent Walls of the casing 1 and are arranged to enter the slots 31 respectively so as to compel movement of the sleeve 25 downwardly or upwardly depending upon the direction of movement of the arm 28. The arm 28 is connected by means of a connecting rod (not shown) by suitable control levers at the engineers platform, so that the tension of the spring 22 of the governor may be varied at the will of the engineer to control the actuation of the governor.

A lever 33 is pivotally connected at 34 intermediate its length within the casing 1. One end 35 of the lever is bifurcated and is arranged to partially encompass the stem 20 between the collars 21, (see Figures 5 and 6). The opposite end of the lever 33 is pivotally connected by means of a connecting rod 36 to the piston 37 of a dash pct 38. The purpose of the dash pct 38 is to stabilize the movement of the stem 20 caused by the governor, and to offset slight fluctua tions of the governor.

A normally closed switch, which when opened directs an electric circuit for the purpose of stopping the hoisting machinery, is disposed within the casing 1 and is actuated conjointly or selectively by the g0vernor and the cams on the cam bearing disc 4. This switch consists in a pair of contact members 39 and 40 carried by cooperating switch members 41 and 42 respectively. The switch member 41*, as reference to Fig ures4 and 5 will indicate, has'a bifurcated portion 43, which is loosely mounted upon the shaft 44. Thezshaft 44 is projected through a boss portion 45 in the casing 1. A part of the shaft extends exteriorly of the casing and adjacent to the peripheral wall of the cam disc 4.

The switch member 42 is fixed against movement on the shaft 44 by means of a pin 46 so that movement of the shaft 44' may occasionmovement of the switch mem ber 42.

A tension-spring 47 is connected between the switch member-s41 and 42 so as to draw the switch member 41 up toward the switch member 42, and cause the contacts 39" and 40 of the switch members, to touch one another, thereby closing the switch so formed.

The contact members 39 and 40 are connected by means of flexible lead wires 50 and 51 to acircuit in which the control mechanism of the mine hoist and brake mechanism is a part. The switch member 41 has a laterally extending portion 52. An arm- 53 is loosely mounted upon the shaft 44 at that side of the switch member 41 from which the portion 52' extends. Thearm 53 is connected by means of a link 54 to the lever 33 at 55. The link 54 is omitted in Figure 5 of the drawingso as to morecl'ean ly show the switch members, but is shown in Figure 3.

An adjustable set screw 56 carried by the arm 53 is arranged to engage with the laterally extending portion 52 of the switch member 41 when the lever is actuated, as by excessive upward movement of the cross head 19 of the governor. Normally, at ordinary running speed within the limits of safety, there is a distance of approximately one-thirty-second of an inch between the set screw 56 and the upper surface of the laterally extending portion 52, and the switch member 41. Any increase of speed in the governor will force the arm 53 downwardly to engage with the switch member 41, and thus open the switch formed by the contact members 39 and 40.

A cam operated arm 58 is fixed to the outermost end of the shaft 44 by means of a pin 59. The arm 58 carries a roller 60 at the outermost end thereof whichnormally lies in close proximity with the peripheral wall of the disc 4.

Tapering cam members 61 and 62 are lined to the disc 4 by means of bolts 63 sliding in a circumferential groove 64 on the disc 4, thus permitting the setting of the cam members 61 and 62 at any desired point upon the disc. The cam member 61 in the present inst'al lation is for the bottom of the shaft and the cam member 62 is for the top ofthe shaft. Rotation of the shaft 44 caused by engagement of the roller 60 with either of the cam members 61 or 62, as the shaft 3 turns will cause the switch member 42 to move upwardly and thus break the contact of the members 39 and 40. These contact members must separate since the laterally extending portion 52 of the switch member 41 will strike the set screw 56. Just how quickly the portion will strike the set screw depends upon the speed at which the hoist drum is moving. a

A. cover plate is provided, (see Figure 2), 'to close the casing 1, and thereby exclude foreign substance from the casing.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. As outlined in the specification, my improved controller may be operatively connected with the hoist drum of the mine hoist by connection of '1 suitable drive mechanism associated with the hoist drum to either of theends 14 of the shaft 13. hen the driving connection has been established, the pointer 5 is adjusted by means of the adjusting bolt 6 on the shaft 3 so that the pointer will be in registration with the legend T on the dial 2. when the skip or cage is at the top of the hoist, and so that the pointer will lie in registration with the various legends denoting the landings 1, 2, or

3, when the skip or cage is at the respective landings. c

The next step in the 1nstallation of my simplified controller is to set the cams 61 and 62 so that as the skip or cage is ap- Y preaching the bottom of the shaft the cam 61 will justengage with the roller 60 of the arm. carried by the shaft 44, and so that when theskip or cage has arrived at a point nearly adjacent to the limit of its travel that the arm will be raised sufficiently so as to assure the breaking of the contact members 39 and 40 from engagement with one anothen even though the governor is nearly at a standstill, and movement of the skip or cage exceedingly slow. It will be noted that the cam engaging surface of the cam 61 is curved so as to gradually move the arm as the disc 4 is turned indirectly by movement of the hoist drum.

In like manner, the cam 62 is set so as to reaches the top of the shaft.

a, connecting rod is connected with the arm 28 and the opposite end thereof is exsion movement of the sleeve 25'and hence variation of the tension of the governor spring 22. thereby placing the governor under the direct cont-rol of the engineer. This is for the purpose of setting the controller for speeds of the skip or cage safe for'the travel of men and at greater speeds 'where ore or coal is to be handled. v

Slight fluctuations of the governor which might tendto eratically influence the switch members 41' and 42 are absorbed and counteracted bythe dash pot 38., the piston 37 of which is connected withthe lever 33 associated with the governor spring stem.

Let us assume that the skip or cage is. at the top of the mine shaft and that the men are to be carried therein to the bottom ofthe shaft. In this event the engineer will actuate the sleeve 25 by means of the connecting rod associated with the arm 28 so as to cause the sleeve torotate in a counterclockwise direction, (see FigureS). This will elevate the sleeve suiiiciently to lessen the compression of the spring 22 and thence decrease the resisting force exerted by the spring); against elevation of'the cross head. 19 of the overnor.

The-hoisting engine is then set in motion and the drum is rotated to lower the skip or cage. The electrical circuit for actuating the control mechanism of the hoist engine and breaking mechanism for operating the hoist drum is closed at this time due to the fact that the contact members 39 and 40 of the switch members 41 and 42respectively engage the roller 60 when the skip" or cage are contacting one another. thuspermitting skip or cage exceeds a speed safe forthe travel. of men at a point during the travel through the intermediate portion of the shaft. Just as quickly as the speed has passed its'safe limit, the fly balls of the governor 18 Will have elevated sufliciently to cause the spring stem 20 to move the lever 33 on itspivotal support 84k and force the arm 53 to move downwardly, thus causing the set screw 56rto contact with the laterally extending portion152 of the switch member 41, which will resist the force exerted by the tension spring 47 and move downwardly, thereby breaking engagement of the contact members 39and40' to open the control cire cuit and to shut off'the hoisting engine and apply the brakev mechanism.

Let us now assume that the skip or cage has been again set in motion and continues its travel to the bottom of the shaft. As

itvapproaches the bottom of the shaft, the

air

cam-61' will engage'with the roller 60, cans ing a slight upward movement of the arm and consequent rotative movement of the shaft-44. If" the engineer does not at this timere'duce the speed of the hoisting engine, the: switch member 42 will be raised upwardly, (see Figure 5), and cause the contact members 39and 4:0 to break, that is, to cause the switch member 41 to be stopped in its upward movement by the engagement of the portion 52 thereofwith the set screw 56. If

the engineer does reduce the speed of the cage, but does not stop it entirely, continued movement of the skip or cage, and consequently the hoist drum, will cause the cani 6-1 to move as a final stop cam and elevate the member 12 sufliciently to break the contacts 39 and 40 from engagement with one another despite the position'ot the fly balls of the'governor 18.

In recapitulation, it will be noted that what my improved simplified controller actuallydoes is to compel the engineer to operate the hoisting mechanism at proper speeds at both the limits of travel and points intermediate the limits of travel. If this correctoperation' of the hoist-is not attained, the device will automatically open the cir cuit controlling the hoisting engine, and in most installations, the brake mechanism, thereby obviating-the possibility of an accident caused by the engineers negligence or incapacity to properly perform his duties. When my improved controller is to be used for greaterspeeds, as in raising ore and coal, the arm 28 is moved so as to lower the sleeve 25 and thus increase compression of the spring 22;

Working adjustment of the spring 22 may be accomplished by the rotation of the threaded tubular member 23, and setting of the'lock nut 26.

I claim:

1'. A hoist controller of the type described comprising a casing, a switch comprising a. pair of cooperating elements disposed in said casing, a governor mounted in said casing, means for operatively connecting said governor with a hoist drum of a mine hoist so that the speed of said governor is propor tional to the speed of said hoist drum, means associated 'with said governor and with said switch for actuating said switch when said governor has attained a predetermined speed, a dash pot associated with said governor for preventing the governor from unintentional actuation through said second named means by slight accidental fluctuations, means forresisting the expansion of said governor, said means being controllable manually at will, and cam operated means associated with said switch and arranged for actuation by said hoist drum for actuating said switch when said hoist drum arrives at either of its limits of travel.

2. A hoist controller of the type described comprising a casing, a switch comprising a pair of cooperating elements disposed in said casing, a governor mounted in said casing, means for operatively connecting said governor with the hoist drum of a mine hoist so that the speed of said governor is proportional to the speed of the mine hoist drum, means associated withsaid governor and with said switch for actuating said switch when the governor attains a predetermined speed, means for, resisting the expansion of said governor, said means being controllable manually at will, andcam operated means associated with said switch and arranged for actuation by said hoist drum for actuating said switch when said hoist drum arrives at either of its limits of travel.

8. A controller of the type described comprising a casing, a switch having a pair of cooperating switch members disposed in said casing-a shaft extending exteriorly of said casing arranged for connection with the hoist drum of a mine hoist, a governor disposed in said casing and arranged to be driven by said shaft, a spring for resisting the expansion of said governor, manually operated means associated with said spring for varying the force exerted by said spring against the expansion of said governor, a cam bearing disc arranged to be driven by said shaft, cams carried by said disc, and

means associated with said switch and arranged for engagement with said cams on said' disc for actuating said switch when the hoist drum approaches either of its limits of travel, said disc being arranged to turn proportionally with the travel of said hoist drum, and to rotate less than 360 during the entire travel of said hoist drum.

4:. A controller of the type described comprising a casing, a switch having a pair of cooperating switch members disposed in said casing, a shaft extending. exteriorly of said.

casing arranged for connection with the hoist drum of a mine hoist, a governor disposed in said casing and arranged to be driven by said shaft, a spring for resisting the expansion of said governor, manually operated means associated with said spring for varying the force exerted by said spring against the expansion of said governor, a cam bearing disc arranged to be driven by said shaft, a cam carried by said disc, and means associated with said switch and arranged for engagement with said cam on said disc for actuating said switch when the hoist drum approaches either of its limits of travel, said disc being arranged to turn proportionally with the travel of said hoist drum, and to rotate less than 360 during the entire travel of said hoist drum.

' 5. In a controller of the type described, a switch comprising a shaft, a switch member loosely mounted on said shaft and extending radially therefrom, a second switch member fixed to said shaft, said switch members each being provided with a contact member arranged to engage with one another, means for normally moving said switchv members toward one another, an arm fixed to said shaft, cam operated means arranged for operation by the hoist drum of a mine hoist for engaging with and moving said arm, thereby. rotating said shaft, and means for retarding the movement of said switch member mounted loosely on said shaft, whereby rotation of said shaft may cause said switch members to move apart from one another.

6. In a controller of the type described, a switch comprising a shaft, a switch member loosely mounted on said shaft and extending radially therefrom, a second switch member fixed to said shaft, said switch members each being provided with a contact member arranged to engage with one another, means for normally moving said switch members toward one another, an arm fixed to said shaft, cam operated means aranged for operation by the hoist drum of a mine hoist for engaging with and moving said arm, thereby rotating said shaft, and means for retarding the movement of said switch member mounted loosely on said shaft, whereby rotation of said shaft may cause said switch members to move apart from one another, and a governor for actuating said retarding means proportional to the speed at which said hoist drum is travsling, said governor being operatively connected with said hoist drum, through suit able driving mechanism.

7. A hoist controller of the type described comprising a casing, a switch disposed within said casing and arranged for connection in an electrical control circuit for controlling the hoist drum of a mine hoist, a governor within said casing arranged for connection with said hoist drum, and cam operated means arranged to be driven by said hoist drum, said governor and said cam operated means both being associated with said switch for cooperatively actuating said switch dependent upon the speed of said hoist drum and the position of said hoist drum.

8. A hoist controller of the type described comprising a casing, a switch disposed within said casing and arranged for connection in an electrical circuit for cont-rolling the hoist drum and brake mechanism of a mine hoist, a governor within said casing ar ranged for connection with said hoist drum, and cam operated means arranged to be driven by said hoist drum, said governor and said cam operated means both being associated with said switch for cooperatively actuating said switch depending upon the speed of said hoist drum and the position of said hoist drum.

HENRY HAVELOOK LOGAN. 

